Art of the Senbon
by HATEmach1ne
Summary: He looks down and immediately notices how small he is and then he jumps off the bed, rushing into the bathroom. He looks into the mirror and what he sees shocks him. He is 6 years old again. UBER!Naruto,TimeTravel!Naruto. Naruto/FemKyuubi/Yugito
1. Chapter 1: Going Retro

_Disclaimer: I do now own Naruto or anything affiliated to Naruto. That guy over there, points at an older looking man, owns Naruto. Now, I wish I could own a part of Naruto, but that is as of now, unattainable. I'll settle for dreaming though!_

_Summary: There are only two people left on Earth and they will go to hell and back to destroy each other. Naruto, AKA, __**DOKUHARI (Poison Needle)**__, found himself in the battle of his life against Madara Uchiha. As he feels the life force drain away, he thinks he sees the form of the Shinigami. The next thing he knows, the Master of the Senbon is back in his 6 year old body._

_A/N: Nothing much to say. Naruto/Femkyuu/Yugito. UBER!Naruto, SMART!Naruto, TIMETRAVEL!Naruto  
_

**Art of the Senbon**

**Going Retro**

Wastelands devoid of life surround the two foes, both panting hard after the grueling battle. Debris and rubble litter the ground and the smell of ash is heavy in the air. Small fires burn away the last remnants of the small buildings and what lay beneath their stony depths. Heavy smoke wafted heavenwards, the cloud of dark dust partially veiling the light of the sun. Blood pooled around the ground, the crimson liquid mixing in with the wet ground. A light rain begins to fall on the two, drenching them from head to toe.

The man with red eyes begins to talk first, "This is where it ends Naruto-kun. You're by far the most strongest opponent I have ever fought and I commend you for that, but this ends now." He shoots off Naruto barely gets his katana up to block Madara's.

Naruto grits his teeth and manages to use his tired muscles to push Madara's sword off and send him flying back a couple of feet. Ignoring the pain spiking in his legs, he runs towards the other figure and swings at the black tresses of hair. Madara's kodachi meets his and they fly in opposite directions before sprinting forward again and meeting in a flash of metal. They disappear in a blue and clangs reverberate around the wasteland.

With a flash of silver, the two combatants meet in the middle, their swords buried to the hilt in each other's stomach. Their eyes shine with the blood red color of their Eternal Mangekyou Sharingans

_**Flashback Begin**_

"_It's over Sasuke, your path of destruction has ended," Naruto said. He watched as Sasuke coughed up a torrent of blood._

_It dribbled out of his mouth and he let out a painful moan, "IT CAN'T BE OVER. I'M SASUKE UCHIHA! I REFUSE TO DIE." Naruto looked at his former teammate with pity. Senbon needles stuck out of his skin, the poison paralyzing and limiting his movements and cognitive functions. _

"_I'm sorry Sasuke, but this ends now," Naruto said before sinking his blade further into Sasuke's stomach. He gave it a twist and blood squirted from his mouth as he screamed from the pain._

_Sasuke started laughing and Naruto wondered what could he laugh at when he's at Death's door, "So, the dobe has killed me huh. Who would have thought? Take my eyes Naruto and kill Madara. I learned that he was the one who orchestrated the murder of my family. Take my eyes and kill him please. This is my last request as a former teammate… and former friend."_

"_It will be done," Naruto said as he bent down. Sasuke's breath hitched as he felt the painful tug at the back and front of his skull. He screamed forcibly as his eyes were removed from his skull and that was the last sound he made before he went onto the land of the dead._

_Naruto sealed the eyes in a storage scroll and used his hands moved Sasuke's eyelid to cover the now open orifices that use to be Sasuke's eyehole. "Goodbye Sasuke, my bestfriend, my brother. May your soul find eternal rest." He turned and left, leaving Sasuke's body to the open elements._

_**Flashback End**_

The first thing Naruto does is find somebody to transplant the eye.

_**Flashback Begin (Again… sigh)**_

_Naruto walked into the small village and noticed the almost empty streets. The streets had trash scattered all over the ground and the side walk was blazoned with chewed gum. The stores were small and whatever people milled around stuck to the shadows of the buildings. His blue eyes swept over the barren city and noticed the rather tall building with a green cross with red outlines. The Kanji for hospital sat to the right of the cross._

_He found his destination and began to walk toward the white building. It was rather beat up, the wood of the door chipped and marred while the windows had grime all over it. He sighed once before stepping inside and he almost ran back out in disgust._

_The lobby was dirty, the tiles a murky white. The chairs were eaten away by moths and the dim yellow light allowed him to see along the walls. The walls were cracked and chipped in places. He heard a moan come from the end of the hall and he immediately took the senbon that he was chewing from his mouth. He reached behind him and grabbed another four and put them in between his right hand. He stalked down the corridor and he turned to the left to find a group of bandits ganging up on a man with glasses and a white coat._

"_Please, just take my money! I have nothing for you," the doctor pleaded with his captors. A bandit hit him with a right hook and spat in his face._

"_Come on Doc, give us some drugs. This can end soon if you can give us some morphine," the leader of the gang said. Naruto quivered in rage at the temerity of these people._

_He flicked his right hand and let the senbon needles fly into their necks, efficiently knocking them out. The doctor looked up in surprise and found a tall man with blond hair. Red streaks mingled with his blond tresses and they fell down to the back of his neck in a small ponytail. He had on a black turtle neck with a dark blue, unbuttoned trench coat. He had on dark blue ANBU pants that cut off at his knees. Dark green dragon hide shin guards protected his legs and he had on simple black dragon hide combat boots. His hands had fingerless gloves with steel plates pressed into the fabric above his fingers. His muscles were wiry and lean, not bulky, but much like a swimmers' own body. A Konoha Hitai-ate rested on his forehead, but a largely noticeable gash went straight through the middle of the leaf, marking him a Nuke-nin. His blue eyes were distinctive as well as the three defining whisker like marks on each cheek._

_A kunai pouch was strapped to both his thighs while another pouch full of senbon needles was sitting on his hip, right above his right butt cheek. His katana was strapped to his back, the blue scabbard shining in the dim light. Dragons and mythical creatures decorated the scabbard while the blade itself was made of a light blue metal. It sparkled several different shades in the light and when exposed to the sun, it gleamed like a beacon on a stormy night._

_He bent down and looked at the doctor who shied away. Naruto sighed before offering a hand, "Are you the doctor?"_

_The doctor sheepishly nodded, allowing Naruto to continue, "Come on, I need you for an important surgery. I'll pay you half now and half later."_

_The doctor's eye lit up and stood up, "Follow me." Naruto chuckled for a moment and handed the money over to the man._

'_Oh, how money can change a situation,' Naruto thought before following the doctor down the corridor._

_When inside, he noticed the stark contrast of the room to the contrast of the rest of the hotel. The room was clean and the walls were immaculate and unmarred. The sink was set in the corner, the light steel of the faucet giving off a dull light. The bed was soft as he laid down on it._

_Naruto took a deep breath before turning his head to the doctor, "I need you to implant these," Naruto said while he reached out for a scroll in his trench coat._

_He removed it and unsealed the eyes, and handed them over. With a nod, he began and Naruto endured the pain, no pain killer being able to help him as the Kyuubi's chakra dissolved them as soon as they were inserted into his system._

_Within an hour, the doctor was finished and gave Naruto a mirror. His eyes were now a pale green, a side-effect from the implanting of the foreign eyes. The genes intermixed and mutated, causing his eye color to change to green. After hours of studying the Sharingan, Naruto had learned everything about it, inside and out. He knew what effects it had and how the Mangekyou version of it was detrimental to your eyesight. With a flare of chakra, he awakened his eyes into their three tomoe state. Another flare of chakra and they swirled for a moment before forming a 4-point red shuriken shap with a black background. His black pupil sat in the middle and he was about to deactivate it when pain began to erupt in his eyes._

_He immediately closed them and fell back onto the bed while the doctor checked out the rest of his person. A few minutes later, the pain subsided and he finally opened his eyes and looked in the mirror again. His eyes had turn into a dark green and specks of gold flickered throughout his iris. He flared chakra and noticed that instead of the traditional red background and black tomoes, they were switched with red tomoes and black background. Sending another spike of chakra, Naruto noticed that instead of the just the four point star, he now had another 4 point star overlapping his red one, creating 8 points that attached around his eye. A small red circle sat in the middle of his eye and he didn't know what happened._

_**Mindscape**_

_He closed his eyes and forced himself into a state of mind where no thoughts clouded him and he felt himself enter his mindscape. He opened his eyes to the familiar blood red walls, but inside the cage was a rather cozy home surrounded by grass and wild flowers. It wasn't overly big like that of a mansion, but it had two stories and had a lot of room. He looked around noticed the small pond and rabbits running around. He smiled and shook his head at Kyuubi._

"_Kyuu-chan?" he called, waiting for the redhead to walk out of the red house. The door soon opened and the sight took his breath away._

_A woman with blood red hair walked out of the house with no shoes on, leaving her feet out for the world to see. Her toenails were painted blood red and they wriggled as they walked through the green grass. His eyes traversed her body and he looked at her sleek and smooth legs that crawled up her body and hid themselves away under a mini-skirt. Her skirt itself was a red orange color and it went up to her curvy waist. Her black shirt had a red nine-tailed fox on it and it fit her hourglass figure perfectly. It accentuated her bust, a nice size, but not overly big. Her arms swung at her sides as she walked, the nails painted black and red as she sauntered over to him. He can clearly see the muscles and it added to her feminine appearance. He traversed from her torso to her slender and pale neck, the skin light and soft that makes you just want to kiss it. He studied her face and noticed the red, luscious lips that curved upwards in a smile. Her nose was thin and her eyes were black with blood red slits covering her pupil. Her face was angelic and her smile made him weak at the knees. She finally stopped in front of him and when she saw the look on his face, she tried to stifle a laugh, but failed._

_Her melodious voice broke him from his thoughts and he looked down at the shorter woman, "What?"_

"_**Oh nothing Naru-kun. I'm pretty sure you're here because of your sharingan?"**__ Naruto nodded before Kyuubi took his hand led him towards her home inside the cage. He blushed and Kyuubi could feel the heat below his skin and smiled, her toothy fangs hanging over her lower teeth._

_When they finally stop inside her house, Naruto was thoroughly flushed as he took a seat on the red couch. __**"What do you want to know Naru-kun?"**__ She said as she took a seat opposite him._

"_What happened to my eyes. I know I had my Mangekyou because Sasuke had it, but why did it change from the 4-point to 8-point?" He questioned and Kyuubi stared into his blood red eyes and seemed to get lost in them._

"_Kyuu-chan?" He asked and that broke her away from her momentary lapse of control._

_She bit her lower lip in embarrassment before she reigned her senses back to her. Clearing her throat, she began, __**"Naruto, your original Mangekyou took form in the 4-point star. Now, when you implanted them within yourself, did you notice how your eyes changed from blue to green?"**_

_He nodded and she continued, __**"That was due to the nature of my chakra and it was enough to change certain genes inside your DNA. Your DNA essentially mutated and has integrated the Sharingan Kekkei Genkai into your bloodline."**_

_His breath hitched for a moment and he quietly said, "That means I now have the Sharingan bloodline?"_

_Kyuubi nodded, __**"Yes, you now have the Sharingan bloodline and when you have a child, he will have the Kekkei Genkai. Now, onto why your eyes changed shape from 4points to 8 points. That Naruto is also due to my chakra, but now you don't have to suffer from the side effects of using the Mangekyou Sharingan such as blindness. You will still feel fatigued after usage, but to a lesser extent. The bad thing is, it will take more chakra to use than normal, but the benefits rather outweigh the price."**_

_Naruto took this all in and he became lost in thought, but Kyuubi broke him out of it, __**"Naruto, do you know the story of Madara?"**__ Naruto nodded._

"_**When Madara had become blind from over usage of his Mangekyou Sharingan, he implanted his younger brother's eyes into his body and he ended up with the fifth stage of the Sharingan. The Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan,"**__ she finished._

_Naruto's eyes widened when the information finally sunk in, "You're saying I have the same kind of eyes as Madara?"_

_Kyuubi nodded, __**"Well, there are subtle differences, but yes you do in a nut shell."**_

"_What do you mean subtle difference?" Naruto asked curiously._

"_**There are different effects for each owner of the eye. For Madara, he is able to open up a vortex and travel through it,"**__ Kyuubi told Naruto._

"_Does that mean I have the same ability or will I have something else entirely?" Naruto asked._

"_**You will have all the effects of the Mangekyou Sharingan, but the ability of your Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan it unknown until you unlock it. That is all I know and all I can tell you is that you will unlock it through usage and experience. I suggest you take a break from hunting Akatsuki and train yourself to use your Sharingan Naruto-kun,"**__ Kyuubi said._

_Naruto just sat there as his eyes glazed over at the influx of information. He essentially had the same eyes as the leader of Akatsuki and he had an unknown ability that came along with his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. He also had the fact that the Sharingan was a part of his blood line and he sighed loudly into his hands._

_Kyuubi saw that Naruto was stressed and stood up. She walked over and sat down next to him, her arm wrapping around and rubbing his back soothingly. His muscles relaxed under her touch and he looked to his left and smiled. Kyuubi's face flushed when she saw his smile and she felt the heat rise up to her face. Luckily Naruto didn't noticed and she thanked Kami for it._

_Another 15 minutes pass by with Kyuubi holding Naruto. She noticed the droopiness in his eyes and said, __**"It's time to get back to the real world Naru-kun."**_

_Naruto nodded and with a quick move, he planted a kiss on Kyuubi's cheek and disappeared from the mindscape. Her face flushed and her pale skin became red as she touched the spot where his lips touched her skin. The feeling lingered for a moment and she grinned happily as she walked into the bedroom and presently fell asleep, thinking what she could do to him in bed._

_**Real World**_

_Naruto's now green eyes fluttered open and took in the white room around him. Memories rushed back and he remembered what had happened. He saw the doctor lying in a cot in the corner, apparently asleep. He sat up and walked over to the still unmoving doctor and put down the money next to his motionless form. He stalked out of the building and found a hotel for the night. It was dingy and dirty, but the room itself wasn't bad and he knew he could lay low here for a while when he practiced using his Sharingan._

_**Fastforward: 1 Year**_

_Naruto stood panting in the clearing as his eyes flashed red and black. A tree laid in a heap on the ground, it's bark black and burnt. He concentrated, sending the flow of thoughts and images to his mind. His body began to change and once where Naruto stood now sat a blood red phoenix. It's feathers were red with thin, black streaks and it had the same eyes as Naruto. It opened its wings and took off, it's wings opening up to 3 meters._

_It soared and dipped, it's wings opened and flapping in the air. It opened it's beak and belched out a black fire that soared straight towards a gigantic boulder. When it came in contact, the boulder smoldered and part of it melted and fell to the floor. The phoenix let out a squawk of approval and descended to the ground and transformed back into it's human form._

_Naruto shook his body to get used to the feeling again and then he felt the presence of Kyuubi's thoughts, __**"Good job Naru-kun. You have your phoenix form perfected."**__ Naruto blushed at the praise and Kyuubi mentally smiled._

_Kyuubi studied Naruto's mind for a bit before she tripped over Naruto's second ability, __**"Naru-kun, your second ability is something I've never seen before and is rather interesting," **__Kyuubi mused out loud._

"_What is it?" Naruto asked while he cocked an eyebrow in his physical form._

"_**The speed your chakra circulates around your body has increased,"**__ Kyuubi said._

_Naruto looked confused and asked, "Okay… what does that do?"_

_Kyuubi nodded in his mindscape, __**"Well, my theory is that with the increased speed your chakra circulates, it allows you to pump chakra out very quickly. It can speed up the process of channeling and changing your chakra to the right element and such. Increased jutsu speed with no handseals is a very useful skill and I think your third ability gives you mastery over Wind, Water, and Lightning."**_

"_I already knew those were my affinities though," Naruto said._

"_**No Naru-kun. Affinities and Masteries are different. With an affinity, it allows you to use the jutsu involving that type of elemental chakra easier. That is why you are able to use no handseal and non verbal wind, water, and lightning jutsu. Now, mastery is different. Master allows your free control over the element so you can manipulate it how you want," **__Kyuubi explained while Naruto gasped._

"_So, master means I have control over the element right?" Naruto questioned._

"_**That is exactly it, but it will take months with Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) to actually master each element. It may even take years. Now, that is over, I want you to create 50 clones to work on your Shunpo no Jutsu (Flash Step) while you enter your mindscape and study mastery with me," **__Kyuubi said while her mind went like:__** 'Enter your mindscape so I can actually see and feel you.'**_

_Kyuubi smiled gleefully for a second before she noticed that Naruto was now in his mindscape and was looking at her with a confused expression. Kyuubi blushed and grabbed his hand which in turned caused him to blush before she rushed him off towards her house in his head._

_**Fastforward: 4 Years (Naruto Age: 30)**_

"_**Naru-kun? Are you ready for this?" **__Kyuubi asked, concern for the man she secretly loved lacing her voice._

"_It's now or never Kyuu-chan," he spoke sadly, looking at the form of the woman he secretly loved._

_Kyuubi mentally nodded before the connection closed and he now looked at the form of Uchiha Madara, his Akatsuki cloak flowing in the wind. His mask is gone, leaving an aged face with the red of his Sharingan spinning wildly._

**Present Time**

"Goodbye Madara," Naruto says as the blood fills his mouth and spills onto the ground. He twists the sword in Madara's stomach and he can hear the choking noise as Madara left the world of the living.

"Goodbye to you Kyuubi Jinchuriki," Madara says before his Sharingan deactivates and his black eyes dulls

Naruto retracted his sword from Madara's body and it falls in a heap while he uses his sword as a crutch to stand up. His strength soon leaves him and he falls onto the blood stained ground, right next to Madara. Madara's sword is still lodged in his stomach and he doesn't have the strength to move his arms. He closes his eyes and descends into his mindscape to see the woman he loves for the last time.

**Mindscape**

"Kyuu-chan?" He tentatively calls out. He walks inside the house and walks down the corridor towards her room. He hears sniffling inside and when he opens the door, he finds the crying form of Kyuubi laying on her bed. Her immaculate red hair is disheveled and tears streaks down her face. Her eyes are puffy and her eyelids droop in exhaustion. He can feel his strength leaving him and he forces himself to take step after step. He finally makes it over to her bed and falls onto it in a heap, startling her.

"**Naruto-kun," **she mumbles. She can feel her strength leaving and she finds it hard to form words.

"Kyuubi-chan… I have something to say to you before I… go," Naruto says in between coughs. His green eyes begin to dull more every second and she cries out and holds his hand tightly.

"**Me too… Naru-kun," **Kyuubi whispers. Her energy is almost all gone and she has mere minutes left before she dies.

Naruto takes a deep breath, "Kyuu-chan… ever since I've seen you all those years ago, I've been attracted to you," Kyuubi blushes despite everything happening, "I was attracted to you physically, but as time went on and I learned more about you, I felt that emotional tug in my heart. Whenever I talked to you, my heart raced and my blood raced. You were one of the few people who saw me for who I am and you have always been there for me. What I'm trying to say is… I love you."

Tears glisten in her eyes and she can feel her life draining away, the last of her energy being absorbed, "Naruto-kun… I… Love… you… too…"

He is forcibly rejected from his mindscape and he opens his eyes to stare at the black and gold eyes of the Shinigami himself. He blinks again and they are gone. He looks around and notices the walls around him. He also notices the soft bed under him and he wonders where he can be. He was sure he was dead when Madara stabbed him with his sword.

"I wonder if this is death," Naruto says before closely examining the room. His eyes bug out when he notices his old apartment, the one he owned when he was younger. Everything is the same, the dirty and messy room, the old ramen cups lying around everywhere.

He looks down and immediately notices how small he is and then he jumps off the bed, rushing into the bathroom. He looks into the mirror and what he sees shocks him.

He is 6 years old again.

_A/N: Yes, Naruto is a senbon master, but I didn't allude to it in here. I didn't say much about it, but I will have Naruto use senbon needles more in the coming chapters. Enjoy._

_Crystals should be updated tomorrow or on Christmas Day!_

_-HATEmach1ne_


	2. Chapter 2: Team Selection With a Twist

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything affiliated with Naruto._

_A/N: Many have asked me to add FemNibi to the harem, but my beta suggested to add Anko for some reason, but I trust her. So it will be Naruto/FemKyu/Yugito/Anko. Yugito will also be Naruto's age instead of 28. Enjoy chapter two of Art of the Senbon. _

**Art of the Senbon**

**Team Selection With a Twist**

He opens his eyes again, noticing the blood red walls of his mindscape surrounding his figure. He pushes himself up and faces the cage and sees the empty darkness of the cage. There is no house, no rabbits, no green grass, and no Kyuubi. He lifts his hand and notices the size difference. With his hand he begins to search himself over and he notices that he is in his old body.

"I'm in my older body here. Probably has something to do with my mental age and that I'm from the future…" Naruto muses as a figure appears in the abyss.

"**Who dare disturbs the slumber of the mighty Kyuubi no Kitsune?"** a deep voice says from the abyss. Naruto rolls his eyes, remembering the first time was just like this.

'_That answers that, apparently Kyuubi didn't follow me.'_

Kyuubi looks down to find a man that looks similar to the man who sealed her on that fateful night, but something tells her that isn't the same person.

"I am your container, your host, your Jinchuriki."

"**LIES! My container is much younger, you look like the man who sealed me in here!" **Kyuubi snarls, baring her teeth and using her blood red eyes to intimidate the man. It didn't work.

'_**This man, he does not fear me. This has happened only once before...'**_

Naruto smirks and gives her a mock bow, "It is nice to meet you Lady Kyuubi."

**6 Years Later**

'_It's exactly the same…' _ Naruto observes as his blue eyes scan the room. His eyes land on past friends and enemies and he can't help but let past memories wash over him as they play in his mind again.

His eyes then land on his former and current teacher, Umino Iruka. He smiles as the memories wash over him again of the good times he has shared with the scarred Chunin. He allows himself a small smile before the bell rings again, indicating the start of class. Iruka clears his throat and then begins his lectures, something about chakra control and Naruto tunes him out, already remembering all the times Iruka has lectured him in the past. The school day slowly goes by, the only excitement being a small taijutsu tournament towards the end of the school day.

"Okay everybody outside! We're going to have a taijutsu tournament!" Iruka shouts, filing everybody out of the classroom and into the large field next to the school.

The field is rather small, but big enough for people to move around and run about. White lines mark the boundaries and a small circle in the middle indicate the starting point for both fighters. Naruto walks outside with his hands in the pockets of his orange jumpsuit **(GAH! I HATE THAT THING!)** and he moves to catch up with the group as Iruka begins to explain the rules of the tournament.

After a few matches, Iruka calls, "Naruto vs. Sasuke. Come up and get ready." Both competitors walk up and take up fighting stances. Sasuke moves into the Uchiha style Taijutsu while Naruto drops into a loose stance, hands open and splaying to the side. It really isn't a style as Naruto didn't really need a style to defeat Sasuke.

"I want this fight clean you two. No jutsu involved and this will end once I deem it or one of you are unable to continue. Now get ready and BEGIN!" Irukas shouts as he hops back to give the two room.

When Iruka moves, Sasuke begins to talk, putting down on Naruto, "You will lose dobe. Get ready for the beating of your life."

The only reply he gets is a loud yawn and a tick forms on Sasuke's head as he rushes his opponent, his left fist cocked back ready to hit the blond. Naruto quirks an eyebrow at the incoming fist as he shifts his head to the left, letting his fist fly by his right ear. With the other arm, Sasuke tries to put a fist into Naruto's stomach but he sidesteps to the side and it passes by harmlessly. He moves into the rotation and throws a sweep which Naruto jumps over only to see another fist going at him. In the middle of the air, he bends his neck backwards and it soars past his head as he drops to the ground a few feet away without a scratch.

With a cry of outrage, Sasuke rushes him again and throws a left hook, following it into a right hook kick which Naruto catches in mid air. Sasuke jumps off his left leg, swinging it towards Naruto's face in a roundhouse kick as Naruto drops his right leg. Naruto ducks and moves into a sweep and Sasuke falls to the ground, hard. A moment later, Naruto is on top of Sasuke, his fist cocked back, ready to give Sasuke a mind blowing punch when Iruka grabs Naruto's fist and pulls him back.

"The fight is over. Winner, Uzumaki Naruto!" Iruka shouts and Naruto nods, walking off as the panting Uchiha gets back up. Sasuke's fangirls shout in outrage and rush to Sasuke's side as they send glares into the back of Naruto's head.

With an angry look, Sasuke begins to form hand seals and ends up with tiger and shouts, "**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Grand Fireball)."**

With a heave of his chest, he spits out a glob of fire in the shape of a medium sized ball and it heads straight for the back of Naruto's head. Iruka begins to yell at Naruto and Naruto turns around to find the ball speeding towards him and he rolls his eyes before it impacts him. A wall of water rises around him and it absorbs the flame, shocking everyone including Iruka. The water disappears and reveals nothing behind it and everybody begins to look around and they finally see Naruto behind Sasuke, a silver senbon coated with a water substance at SAsuke's neck.

Naruto hisses into Sasuke's ear, "Don't do that again. You might not like what I would do if you do."

Everybody hears his voice and it sends chills down their spines, even the Chunin present. "Do you understand me Sasuke-_kun?" _ Naruto asks, emphasizing the honorific at the end. Sasuke dumbly nods and Naruto lets go before he stalks off and walks back into the classroom. Naruto's eyes flash angrily and it is not lost on Iruka as he has seen the same expression before on people who have survived wars and tragedy.

Finally recovering from his shock, Iruka calls for everybody to go to the classroom where he will announce their homework. Once everyone is inside, he asks everybody for a detailed description of their fight due in two days. As they leave, Iruka stops Naruto and asks him to come over to the desk.

"Yes Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asks politely as he adopts and innocent look while mentally cursing much to the amusement of Kyuubi.

"_**Good one Kit," **_Kyuubi says mentally.

"_Oh shut it Kyuu-chan," _Naruto mentally berates and Kyuubi chuckles before she recedes back into Naruto's mind.

"Naruto, your fight today was excellent. But I'm also concerned as to why you didn't just finish him off at the beginning, but let him get the upper hand for a bit," Iruka asks.

"It's simple Iruka-sensei. Sasuke is well known as the last Uchiha and many people coddle him and he has a superiority complex a mile high," Iruka can't argue with that, "I wanted to beat him at my own leisure. I allowed him to think that he had the upper hand until the end and I capitalized on a mistake. It's simple. Anything else Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka sighs at the incredibly vague answer, but pushes forward with a second question, "How did you do that water jutsu? I know that jutsu is a higher than a D-rank jutsu Naruto," Iruka asks and another string of mental curses makes Kyuubi laugh again.

"I have my secrets Iruka. Deception is the best tool a ninja has in his arsenal. If we can lure our enemies into a false-sense of security, we can pick him off when they underestimate our skills," Naruto says, justifying his reason with a well known fact of the ninja.

Iruka knows Naruto is avoiding the question, but he can't find any statement to reject his rebuttal and Iruka sighs again. Naruto begins to pack his bag and asks, "Anything else Iruka-sensei?"

"You may go Naruto," Naruto nods and walks out of the school. Iruka sighs before he disappears from the school in a shunshin and reappears in side the Hokage's office where he finds the Hokage reading his beloved Icha Icha Paradise.

Sarutobi puts the book away and smiles at the school teacher and takes a puff of his pipe, "Ah, Iruka-kun. What brings you here today? Is it Naruto again?"

"Yes Hokage-sama, but he has been acting weird lately. He is usually happy-go lucky as a child, but for the past few years, I have seen him go from that to a quiet boy. He is usually by himself, but I can never find out where he goes nowadays. I'm worried about him Hokage-sama. Today, he threatened Sasuke Uchiha after Sasuke used a fire jutsu on Naruto who blocked it with his own water jutsu. A jutsu that I don't even know Hokage-sama! How can that be?" Iruka says, and a concerned look appears on the Hokage's face.

"I have noticed the same Iruka. I haven't seen Naruto much, but the few times I've seen him, he is usually quiet and withdrawn. Sometimes I miss his pranks, but I'm afraid I don't know what could have caused this change. It may have been the villagers, but Naruto seemed to have wanted their attention, not shun them," the Hokage says as he shakes his head.

"Also, I saw his eyes today. They were the eyes of a veteran that has survived wars. It didn't belong on his face Hokage-sama!" Iruka exclaims as he buries his head into his hands.

"What do you mean?" the Hokage asks as he puts away his pipes and steeples his hands.

"When he had the silver senbon needle at Sasuke's throat, his eyes hardened and dulled and his voice was chilling. The eyes and voice of a military veteran Hokage-sama!" Iruka says, baffled.

The Hokage contemplates the new development before he snaps his fingers and speaks silently to an ANBU that materializes into view next to him. The ANBU disappears before he turns back to Iruka, "I will have somebody tail him and see what he is doing. I will talk to him tomorrow to see what is wrong."

"Thank you Hokage-sama," Iruka says and he disappears in a shunshin. The Hokage sits back and closes his eyes and takes a puff of his pipe as he puts it back in his mouth.

"I'm getting too old for this," the Hokage says as Mitarashi Anko appears in his office.

"Hey Old Man! What do you need me for?" Anko asks and the Hokage smiles at Anko's cheery voice.

"Ah, Anko-chan. I need you for a B-rank intelligence gathering mission. This is an unusual case and I need you to tail one Uzumaki Naruto and figure out what he is doing in his spare time. He has been acting strangely," the Hokage says as he passes Anko the file on Naruto.

"Why me?" Anko asks as she skims through Naruto's file.

"You have the most similar past to him. You can sympathize with him if needed. I will pay you a B-rank salary plus the payment for an A-rank mission for this. This will be a week long mission and report in every three days," the Hoakge says.

"Ugh, playing babysitter. Fun," Anko grumbles and the Hokage laughs.

"Please Anko-chan, do it for an old man," the Hokage says. Anko smiles at one of the two people who look at her as a person. She nods and disappears with the file and the Hokage pulls out the orange book and begins to read, the occasional giggle escaping his mouth.

***

Anko hops through the trees towards her home away from home inside the Forest of Death. She likes this place due to the fact that not many people venture into its depths and not many people can disturb her in her sanctuary. As she hops through the trees, she notices the small noises of the forest, allowing it to soothe her as she hops towards her home in the middle of the Forest.

As she heads more towards the middle of the forest, she begins to here small shouts of something to her left and she decides to check it out. When she comes upon the scene, she finds the boy she is paid to trail going through a set of katas with a blue bladed katana that sparkles different shades of blue in the light striking through the canopy of the forest. She observes him as he goes through the different movements and the next thing she knows, a salvo of silver senbon needles embed themselves into the tree where she is observing him from.

"Mitarashi-san. I don't take kindly to people who spy on others," Naruto says without turning his back.

Anko quirks an eyebrow before she hops down to the floor and walks up to him, "How'd you know I was there gaki?"

Naruto turns around gave her a knowing smile and he wags his fingers back and forth, "Nuh uh, that's my secret. So, why would the great Mitarashi Anko, former of apprentice of Orochimaru, the Snake Mistress, want to spy on the vessel of the Kyuubi, the pariah and bane of the village?"

Anko quirks an eyebrow and wonders how a boy that isn't even out of the academy knows her by her name in the bingo books. "How do you know who I am?"

Naruto gives her a deadpan look and says, "Secret."

Anko rolls her eyes before she takes a seat and watches him run through the katas with his sword again. It is beautifully crafted, much like her former sensei's Kusanagi. "Hey you! How'd you get the sword?"

Naruto looks at her and then the sword and he smiles and says, "Secret."

Anko develops a tick on her forehead and she mentally swears if he says it again, she is going to hurt him… and hurt him bad. As she watches him, she notices his graceful movements that are much more than what an academy student can handle. They are the movements of a veteran shinobi and his movements are precise and clean.

Time passes on and Anko watches his training, occasionally asking a question here and there and she is thankful that he gives her an answer instead of the secret bullshit he sprouted before. Night soon falls and they depart, Anko a little more knowledgeable of the village pariah.

***

The next day, Naruto awakens to knocking at the door and he finds Anko there with a bag of dango. He quirks an eyebrow before he moves to the side to let her in. She walks in and sets the food on the counter top while she inspects the rest of his apartment and then settles down to eat.

"Why are you here Mitarashi-san?" Naruto asks as he pulls out a carton of milk.

Anko gives him the evil eye before she says, "It's Anko, not Mitarashi-san, not Anko-san, just Anko."

"You still haven't answered my question. Why are you here?" Naruto asks as he takes a pull directly from the carton.

She finishes chewing the dango in her mouth before she answers, "The Hokage wants to see you before class. I also wanted to talk to you."

Naruto begins to cook some sausage and eggs and he says, "Okay, and why would you want to talk to me?"

"Well, you're like me."

"How so?"

"Well, we had crappy childhoods. Both orphans. Hated by the village. I wondered if you want to talk about it," Anko says while taking a pull from her bottle of tea.

Naruto smiles at the wall and says, "I thank you for the gesture. I assure you I'm fine. Do you want anything?" He dumps some eggs and sausage into a plate and sets it on the counter where he begins to dig in.

She watches as he wolfs down the food, occasionally stealing a sausage from his plate. He gives her the evil eye and he finishes a couple of minutes later and walks into the bedroom. Dressing quickly, he pulls on a simple red Tee-shirt with a blue spiral and tan cargo shorts.

"You ready?" Naruto nods and Anko grabs onto him and they both disappear in a leaf shunshin.

***

The Hokage looks up from his paperwork to find Anko and Naruto there standing in front of him. He takes a puff from his pipe before his mouth moves upward in a smile.

"Hello Naruto-kun. Thank you Anko-chan. You are dismissed," Anko nods and walks out the door, whistling a small tune.

Naruto gives a small smile, "She's one of a kind."

"Indeed."

"So Ojiji, what do you want to talk to me about?" Naruto asks as he takes a seat on the couch on the side of the room.

"It's been too long since we last talked Naruto-kun. How are you?" the Hokage asks, fishing for any type of information he can get.

"I'm fine. I can't say that the attitude of the villagers have improved, but I'm fine. Now, let's talk about Anko spying on me eh?" Naruto says, giving the Hokage a devilish smirk.

The Hokage's eyes snap open wide and he says, "How do you know about that?"

Naruto smiles and says, "Don't worry about how I know, but tell me why you have her spying on me."

The Hokage is caught between a rock and a hard place as he struggles to formulate a lie on the spot, but he fails miserably. He decides to go with the truth and confront the situation head on, "To be honest with you Naruto-kun, I'm worried about you."

Naruto quirks an eyebrow and tentatively asks, "Why?"

"You haven't been acting yourself. Iruka has noticed how quiet you have become and I'm worried that you are bottling the emotions within yourself," the Hokage says honestly.

Naruto smiles at his concern before he says, "I assure you I'm fine. You can say that I've grown up Ojiji. Besides, I have something to show you."

Naruto walks over to the Hokage and puts two fingers on the old man's forehead and they both slump over the desk as they delve back into the realms of their minds and begin to cycle through Naruto's memories.

***

**4 Hours later**

"So let me get this straight. Kyuubi is a female, there is going to be an invasion at the next Chunin exams led by Orochimaru under the guise of the Kazekage, I died during the fighting when he summoned the Shodai and the Nidaime, there is a group called the Akatsuki that recruited Itachi from the massacre and is composed of 9 S-rank missing-nin, Sasuke defects, and Madara Uchiha is still alive? And the biggest one is, you were a 30 year old SS-rank missing-nin that killed Madara and the Shinigami sent you back to fix it?" the Hokage says, running out of breath at the end.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it in a nutshell," Naruto says, shrugging his shoulders as the Hokage regains his breath.

"It's weird viewing your own death," the Hokage says out loud.

Naruto chuckles, "Indeed. Now, the invasion won't happen for a couple of months, but it in inevitable. For now, all we do is let things go until two weeks before the final. We will inform people then, but now is too early as that information can be leaked."

The Hokage nods, "We pretend we are in the dark until almost the day of and then we do our thing then?"

"Exactly."

"I want a plan by the end of the second part of the Chunin exam. We will tweak it the two weeks before the meeting. I am going to let the ANBU captain know about this," the Hokage says as he snaps his fingers. "You may go, but stop by my office more often Naruto-kun."

Naruto nods and walks out the door, leaving the Hokage to his own thoughts about everything he had just seen.

"I am too old for this."

***

**Day of the Genin Exam**

Naruto watches as everybody runs around holding their headbands and waving them wildly. He sits alone on the swing, waiting for Mizuki to come and offer him the chance becoming a genin. A few minutes later, the silver haired Chunin walks up to him, a smile on his face. Naruto can clearly see the displeasure through it and he inwardly groans at doing this again.

Mizuki stops in front of him and bends over to Naruto's height, "Hello Naruto-kun."

Naruto looks up with the sad face he has practiced with and meekly says, "Oh… Hello Mizuki-sensei."

"You okay Naruto-kun?" Mizuki says, putting his hands on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto looks up and gives a sniff before he says, "I failed Mizuki-sensei…"

Mizuki smiles before he grips Naruto's shoulder, making him look up, "What if I tell you that you could become a genin if you did something for me?"

Naruto looks up, faking enthusiasm at the information, "What? What?"

Mizuki smirks, knowing he has him, "All I need you to do is to get the Forbidden Scroll in the Hokage's office and meet me in the forest in East Konoha. If you do it successfully, I will make you a genin. Is that okay?"

Naruto fakes a wide smile before he says, "Okay Mizuki-sensei. I'll get it for you. Then I'm going to be a genin!" Naruto does a fist pump and Mizuki smiles and walks away, leaving Naruto to glare at his back.

"Well, I'll get a scroll for you, just not the Forbidden scroll," he says, as he hops off towards the Hokage's office to inform him of Mizuki's plans.

***

Naruto is sitting in the designated spot, waiting for Mizuki to show up.

'3… 2… 1... now!' and right on cue, Mizuki shows up, a giant shuriken on his back. He looks over and finds Naruto sitting there with the scroll in his lap.

"Toss it over Naruto-kun," Mizuki says. Naruto tosses the scroll over, which is actually henged to be a shadow clone of Naruto.

When Mizuki catches it, the scroll explodes and a Naruto hits Mizuki in the face, sending him into a tree 10 feet away. When the dust clears, Mizuki groggily stands up, blood dribbling out the side of his mouth. His left arm is twisted while he walks in a limp. A scowl is on his face at being tricked by a mere genin as he pulls the giant shuriken off his back.

He tosses it at Naruto, the whistling of the wind alerting him of its presence. His hand reaches out and prepares to catch it, but at the last second, he feels skin on his hand and notices Iruka in front of him, a pained look on his face as he falls to the ground, the fuuma shuriken embedded in his back.

Naruto kneels down, checking Iruka's pulse and Iruka coughs out, "Naruto, get out of here. I'll hold him off."

'Damn it Iruka.'

Naruto stands back up, ignoring Iruka's command as he forms the handseal for the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**, **"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"**

A horde of Naruto's appear in the trees above Mizuki and Mizuki's eyes open wide in fear as he faces the real Naruto who's eyes are the flaming red of the Sharingan. With a snarl, all the Naruto's pull out 5 senbon needles, all coated in a paralyzing poison.

"This is for Iruka-sensei! Ike!" Naruto shouts as all the Naruto's release their senbons. At least 100 senbons stick into Mizuki's body as he cries out in pain and drops the fake scroll to the ground. Naruto lets his Sharingan fade and turns back to Iruka who has an amazed look on his face.

Naruto smiles and pulls out the giant fuuma shuriken before his hands glow green, converting the chakra in his hands to healing chakra. Iruka watches in amazement as Naruto fixes him up. Naruto adopts a stern face before he whispers, "None of this gets out Iruka-sensei."

Iruka nods before a smile appears on his face and he pulls off his headband, "Naruto, close yours eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it," Iruka says and Naruto does as he is told. The next thing he knows, Iruka's forehead protector is wrapped around Naruto's forehead. Naruto smiles before giving Iruka a hug.

"Come on, we can celebrate after we get the scroll back. Ramen?" Naruto nods as the ANBU show up along with the Hokage who nods at Naruto. Naruto nods and throws the blank scroll over.

"Thank you Naruto-kun. Stop by my office tomorrow and I'll give you a B-rank pay for the mission you put out here tonight. Now, go get some ramen and get to sleep, team selections are tomorrow and you might find them interesting," the Hokage says and Naruto quirks an eyebrow before he disappears with Iruka.

***

Naruto walks in with his forehead protector wrapped around his forehead snugly as people stare at him. He ditched the orange jumpsuit in favor of his old look. Sasuke, seeing the dobe decides to shout, "Hey dobe, didn't you fail? Only people who passed are supposed to be here."

Naruto rolls his eyes and points to his forehead, "Isn't this proof enough that I passed?"

"For all we know, you could've stolen it," a girl with pink hair shouts.

"Quite down," Iruka shouts as he walks into the room. Iruka sends a glare at the pink haired girl, "Naruto did not steal his forehead protector. I gave it to him after he did a mission for me. Now settle down and listen for your names."

"…Team 7 consists of Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura and your sensei is Hatake Kakashi," the pink haired girl squeals, the boy scowls, and Naruto quirks an eyebrow, 'That's different. I assume that's what the Hokage meant.'

"Team 8 consists of Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata, and Inuzaka Kiba. Your sensei is Yuuhi Kurenai. Team 9 is still in rotation from last year. Team 10 is Akimichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru, and Yamanaka Ino. Your sensei is Sarutobi Asuma," Iruka says as he finishes the team list.

Naruto cocks an eyebrow and raises his hand, "Iruka-sensei! What about me?"

Sasuke smirks and shouts, "Ha, looks like the dobe doesn't even get a team."

Iruka glares at Sasuke before turning to Naruto with a smile, "Well Naruto, somebody has chosen you to be their apprentice."

Naruto quirks an eyebrow, "Who?"

The glass by the window breaks and in jumps Mitarashi Anko, her purple hair spiking upwards as her smile turns upwards into a wicked smile. Naruto facepalms before he looks at Anko who is smiling at him, "Hey Naruto!"

Iruka sweatdrops before he continues, "You will train apart from team 8, but when missions come around, you will work with team 8. Now, go have lunch. Your sensei will be here after to pick you up."

"Come on Naruto, let's go," Anko shouts as she hops out the window. Naruto merely quirks an eyebrow before he follows Anko out the window.

_A/N: Not much interaction with Kyuubi yet and not much on senbons, but that will come later. I'll get more into that in the coming chapter. Hope you enjoyed and remember to R&R._


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